Electrocatalysts and Electrolyzer Design for Energy-Related Reactions

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About this Research Topic

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Background

Continuous consumption of traditional fossil fuels has aroused extensive energy crisis and environmental issues, thus spurring the exploration of high-efficient techniques for harvesting renewable energies and value-added products. Currently, a number of approaches such as photocatalysis, thermal conversion, electrocatalysis and biomass catalysis have been well developed. Thereinto, electrocatalysis is considered a great promising tactic in virtue of its cost position, environmental friendliness, convenient adoption and large-scale production and has attracted significant attention recently. Energy-related reactions such as the electrocatalytic conversion of small molecules (H2O, N2, CO2, O2 and CH2, etc.) and organic synthesis via relatively cheap transition metal-based electrocatalysts have achieved much progress over the past years and they have also demonstrated significant potential for industrial production. Therefore, electrocatalysis could be utilized to harvest clean energy and value-added feedstocks to compensate for the shortage of fossil fuels.

This Research Topic is launched to provide opportunities for researchers to share their latest perspectives and research achievements for the promotion of electrocatalysis in terms of small molecule conversion and organic synthesis to harvest value-added products. Electrocatalytic performance is closely related to electronic structures of electrocatalysts and electronic structures of nanomaterials could alter catalytic paths in turn. Hence, this Research Topic is focused on the development of rational catalyst design and strategies on regulations of electronic structure, the establishment of structure-activity relationships, and the study of electrocatalytic mechanisms based on rational catalyst design. We hope to promote the development of these aspects and drive a high-efficient electrolyzer to harvest value-added chemicals.

We invite researchers to share their Original Research Articles or Reviews on the development and application of electrocatalysis in this Research Topic. Research on theoretical predictions of catalytic features of electrocatalysts is also deemed favorable. The Research Topic tends to cover these areas but is not limited to:
• Novel approaches for catalyst synthesis and rational designs or modifications of catalysts for electrocatalytic water splitting (hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction and other alternative electrochemical reactions), CO2 electroreduction, organic electrosynthesis or electrolysis, small molecules conversion.
• Design or optimizations of multifunctional electrolyzers or energy-efficient (photovoltaic) electrocatalytic systems.
• Advanced characterizations such as in-situ techniques for studying phase transition or/and surface reconstruction of catalyst or electrocatalytic reaction paths.

Keywords: Electrocatalysis, Electrolyzers, Catalytic mechanism, Theoretical prediction

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